We won't be back to Holy Smoke
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 9/3/09
We stayed in cabin 16A for 5 nights. We had to pay for our entire stay upfront. There is a 72 hour cancellation policy so we basically had to stay for our entire trip, otherwise, we would have gone somewhere else. Our interactions with the owner were quite unpleasant - zero customer service! The cabin was extremely dusty. We were given 2 VERY small bars of soap, (when you use it twice it is already gone) and they were never replenished. We were a party of 2 families - 4 adults and one child. There is a bed in the main room with a sink/vanity and the toilet and shower were in a separate room. There is a loft with a queen sized bed and cot. This was not an ideal set-up for 2 families since there is absolutely NO privacy and if someone in the cabin makes any kind of noise, it is heard by everyone. When speaking to the owner - she immediately got on the defense and said that she never misrepresented the cabin....yikes! We were supposed to have free WiFi - it never worked and complained about the issue but it was never resolved. Maintenance men were working on several cabins and spilled a gasoline smelling solvent next to our cabin and we couldn't sit outside because the smell was so strong. After complaining someone did try to get rid of the smell. The only thing positive about this resort was the view - it was so pretty to wake up and sit on the deck in the morning and see the beautiful hills of South Dakota. I know the next time we travel there we will not stay at Holy Smoke Resort and don't recommend any one does. This is our second trip to the Black Hills and the first time we stayed at the Roosevelt Inn which was simply outstanding! My recommendation is do your research. There are soooo many wonderful places to stay in the Black Hills that are more reasonable, clean, friendly and offer more amenities than Holy Smoke.